Mass Markets

Business and Charity

Owning a successful business can be difficult in today’s society, but it is possible. For those of us who run a successful business, we know that simply running it is not what makes it successful, it is what our client base thinks of us. When you own a small or large business, everything about the business is made available for public viewing. There is no better way to increase our credibility and profits is to sponsor or donate to, charitable organizations.

Our image as business owners is an imperative application to success. If we have the money, donating to a charity can essentially lift our public image and the amount of public trust. This in turn creates more business, which in turn creates more profits. Another way donating to a charity can help with the bottom line is the tax write off we receive at the end of the year.

Donating to a charity is not only morally satisfying, but also can help increase profits, credibility and business in general. You can make your charitable contributions available on your website and even write press releases to send to the media. This may seem like you are exploiting the opportunity, but there is nothing wrong with that. You can still donate to a charity and publicize it, without losing out on your feelings of morality, or your expected return on the bottom line. So if you own a successful business and want a boost, donating to a charity can increase your profits by helping to gain public appreciation.

Filed Under: Business, Charity Tagged With: Business, Charitable organization, Donation

Representing Charitable Organizations: Personal Morality and Credibility

Working for a charitable organization is an excellent way to boost your resume as well as make you feel good as a person. There are many ways to donate to a charitable organization. You can donate money, goods and time. Time is one form of donation that is personally rewarding. When deciding to represent a charitable organization, there are many things to consider.

First you must decide which charity to represent. This should be a charity tha you are passionate about. This ensures that you will represent this organization with a certain amount of passion.
Take a look at your personal and professional background. If you are someone who has been in legal trouble in the past, this could lead to discrediting of the charitable organization later down the line. For example, if you are representing an organization that helps children find forever homes, and you were once in trouble for child abuse of any sort, the charities reputation could be on the line if anyone questions the history of those representing it.
Representing a charity requires dedication and time. If you fail to perform your tasks properly, again the reputation of the charity can be in question.

We do not want to discredit a charitable organization. They work towards the bettering of the world and if we discredit them in any way, intentionally or not, this reflects on you and the human race. So when choosing to represent a charitable organization, make sure you are a good fit for the organization and make sure that you have the time to dedicate to the organization.

Filed Under: Charity Tagged With: Charitable organization, Child abuse, Donation

Taking From the Poor to Give to the Rich

According to English folklore, Robin Hood became famous for taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Many a novel and/or cartoon was based on his life and he was made out to be quite a hero. Although he was technically an outlaw our children were taught to look up to and emulate him. Greed and gluttony are both considered to be sins and who does not want to help the less fortunate?

Unfortunately, today, not only are many adults not emulating Robin Hood they are going against everything that he stood for. They are robbing the poor in an attempt to make themselves richer. When negotiating employee contracts for next year my local school board decided to cut the salaries of their bus drivers, bus aides and instructional assistants by thirty percent while giving teachers a four and a half percent raise. Is this fair? Or is it just another example of the rich getting richer?

I am a strong proponent of free enterprise and big business. I believe that if our schools were run more like a business they would be in better shape today. No business owner on earth would cut one group of employees salaries by a third because of so-called budget cuts and then turn around and give another set of employees a raise. If they did, after a while, they wouldn’t have too many employees left. Yet, that’s exactly what some of our local municipalities are doing. The question is: why are we letting them get away with it?

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Business, English folklore, Robin Hood

Make Charitable Donations

As a business, you may find that you want to write off some things on your taxes. One great way to get some tax write offs is to donate to charities. These contributions are tax deductible, so you will be able to write them off at the end of the year. There are a few things to keep in mind, though.

1) Make sure the charity has tax deduction status. There are many charities out there, but they are not all registered with the IRS to have a tax-deductible status. If you donate a car to Kars for Kids, you will be able to write off the car as a tax deduction. Just make sure you check into the charity beforehand.

2) Keep records! If you are claiming more than $250, you will have to have a receipt. If you have donated less than this, you can use a bank statement or a check stub.

3) Remember that if you are donating a service or your time, this is not tax deductible. Only money or goods can be deducted.

4) Consult with a tax professional. This is the best way to make sure that you have claimed everything correctly, and that you won’t run into issues with the IRS in the future. Claiming charitable donation for a

Filed Under: Charity Tagged With: Charitable organization

The Yoga Revolution

I am not an exercise buff. For as much time as my husband spends at the gym I have never been tempted. I have had girlfriend after girlfriend drag me to aerobics, pilates, cardio kickboxing and Zumba. I’ve just never been interested in exercise. I have always been totally content sitting on the couch and reveling in my paunch. That all changed once I discovered yoga.

One of my fellow kindergarten moms dragged me to a class once. She was smart. She started me off nice and easy with meditation. Then she dragged me to Hatha yoga. By the time I got to Vinyasa I was totally hooked. I found that although yoga may be considered an excellent form of exercise it is relaxing too. And who amongst us does not need to relax more. What a great concept. I only wish I had thought of it myself.

Every since I started going to yoga I’ve noticed the proliferation of yoga studios all over my neighborhood. They are literally everywhere. I even have a neighbor that has started teaching yoga out of her basement. This is because yoga is such a great marketing concept. Combining mental relaxation with toning your body is just brilliant. You never feel like your wasting time at yoga. You’re killing two birds with one stone. It’s enough to even relieve the guilt of us overly stressed, overly guilt ridden mommies. Why hadn’t anybody ever thought of it sooner? Frankly, I just wish I had thought of it myself.

Filed Under: Expenses Tagged With: Hatha yoga, Yoga, Zumba

Advertising on Buses

In the wake of all the budget cuts facing local municipalities and schools today some districts here in Central Jersey have come up with an excellent new source for revenue: allowing advertising on the sides of school buses. For a small fee your business can advertise itself on a rolling billboard that constantly moves about town. This is an excellent idea, especially if your business targets kids or people who have kids. Additionally, it is much less expensive than print or radio advertising

This is such a good idea that I think that school districts should work to expand it. Advertising should also be allowed on athletic fields and on the walls of the school gymnasium and cafeteria. The only restriction should be that the product being advertised is appropriate for school. The money raised by this advertising can be used to defer the cost of paying for books, utilities and even employee salaries. If it can save just a few people from getting laid off then it is certainly worth it.

School functions and fundraisers can also be advertised in this manner as well. Many parents automatically throw away half the fliers their kids bring home. This would be just one more way of reaching them. By advertising on a school bus you can reach out to the community as a whole. This would be a way of upping attendance and participation at school bake sales, clothing drives and even sporting events. And you know all the candidates will be using the buses to advertise come board election time.

Filed Under: Charity, Marketing Tagged With: Bus, Central Jersey, School bus

The School Fundraiser

Let’s face it. We all want to help our kids. We all want to help your kids too. Who amongst us would ever even admit for not being all for education. Schools are in constant need of new books, musical supplies and field trips. Nobody wants to say no to these things for our children, except when it comes to participating in the latest school fundraiser.

I don’t know what your neighborhood is like, but in my neighborhood we are bombarded from September to June by constant requests to dig deeper and give more. There are bake sales, holiday boutiques and clothing drives just to name a few. At my sons middle school the school dances correspond to canned food drives. You must bring in a certain number of cans to get tickets to play any of the games. There’s a Pennies for Patients drive too where everybody is supposed to bring in their spare change to donate to cancer research. The homeroom that brings in the largest amount of money gets a pizza party.

The kids are usually very motivated to bring in the money but it’s usually us adults that end up doing all the work. Frankly, I’m finding it not only financially depleting but also downright exhausting. Many a PTA member has hung in the towel due to just too much, or too aggressive, fundraising. Half of the time, I’m not even sure that all of these fundraisers are even legit. As a parent, I ask you, is there any way to just cut it down at least a little bit?

Filed Under: Charity Tagged With: Fundraiser, Middle school, Parent-Teacher Association

Ways Businesses get Employees Interested in Charities

One thing that charities need more than anything are volunteers and supporters. Representatives from charitable organizations scour near and far to recruit people to help join their cause. But getting the necessary number of volunteers, or any at all, is a tall task for any charity.

On the flip side, one thing that businesses tend to have plenty of is people, and some of those businesses are looking for ways to project a community-conscious image. The mutual interests of charities and businesses have led to creative ways in which businesses get their employees engaged in humanitarian causes.

Support One of Their Own

People are more likely to support a cause if it affects someone close to them. When one of their employees falls victim to tragic circumstances, businesses and their employees rally to provide support. By working with a charity in that cause, employees spread their empathy to others.

Collect Donations

A simple way for businesses to support a cause is to collect non-perishable donations right in the workplace, no matter if it’s an office or factory. Just by placing a box for employees to drop things like canned goods or winter clothing adds up to a considerable donation. Businesses can even turn it into a competition between branches to see who can collect the most.

Reward Volunteering

Businesses are in great position to spur employees to volunteer in the community by offering rewards. They can range from paid days off to gift cards or even prime parking outside the office.

Community Service Field Trips

A more direct approach for businesses to introduce community volunteering to their employees is to take them on a field trip to work hands-on with a charity. This exposes employees to a good cause, which could turn into a life-long effort for some.

Businesses and charities have plenty to offer each other.

Filed Under: Business, Charity Tagged With: Charitable organization, Donation

The Underheard Project

The homeless in America are a forgotten issue. So often, Americans turn their attention to the issues that affect the globe, that impact children with disease and that get the press attention. But so often there are issues like homelessness that go forgotten.

There are some, though, who haven’t spent a second forgetting about the homeless. The Underheard project is happening in New York City, one of the most exciting and social relevant projects in the world. The founders of the project learned an important discovery: being homeless is as much a job as anything else. It takes an extraordinary effort to just survive every week.

That’s when the light bulb when on. They decided that the best way to make the rest of the world understand what being homeless was all about was by giving some of these homeless people a voice and a platform to tell their story.

They began simple: they gave them prepaid cell phones that had unlimited talk and text features and they set them up with a Twitter account. These people ended up by telling their story to whoever would listen.

What happened was a natural growth of the interest in the story. They began posting photos, giving blogs about the conditions in which these people live every day. It gave people a reminder that living on the streets might seem like it’s effortless, but it’s the hardest anyone has to work. From fighting the elements to finding food, being homeless is as exhaustive a living situation and lifestyle as anything.

It’s a shame that these men and women have to be this way, but through their cell phones they have a voice and have shined a light on something that everyone quickly forgets: being homeless can happen to anyone. It’s a sobering thought and these homeless are living proof of the struggle.

Filed Under: Employees Tagged With: Homelessness

Big Business Helps Communities by Buying Local

The economic engine of any community is its local businesses and entrepreneurs. But small towns can also benefit from having big business, such as chain stores, move in that offer a significant number of jobs and plenty of tax revenue.

However, there are additional benefits to how big business can assist local communities by helping local businesses. Some communities want to protect their local economy by emphasizing the idea of buying local only and this idea has spread to big business who see a way of helping the local community, and cut their own costs.

Selling Local Products

Next to some of the brand-name products on the shelves of a big business establishment customers might be able to find items made right there in town. Big grocers, for example, have started to make it goal to sell locally grown produce. Not only does it help local farmers, it helps the environment by limiting the amount of shipping needed to move the product, which also means lower shipping costs.

In addition to food, many big businesses have made an effort to sell a variety of other items produced or manufactured in the local community. They can be clothing designed or printed in town, as well as furniture or crafts hand-crafted by local artisans. To solicit donations, local charities tend to make products for sale which big business stores may carry.

Using Local Services

For a big business to operate efficiently, especially those in large buildings on expansive plots of land, they do need a lot of services from landscaping to waste disposal to general mechanical maintenance. These are all services that any local community has to have, and is sure to have local businesses that provide them.

Lifting up a local community takes a lot of work, and big business can be a big asset for doing just that.

Filed Under: Business, Expenses Tagged With: Business, Local community